Trophy Thursday: King Clancy Memorial

Perusing the NHL's robust and authentic trophy case, the King Clancy Memorial stands out as an appropriate choice for this week's Trophy Thursday entry. The award goes each season to the NHL player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community."
Past King Clancy winners include any number of Hall of Famers-Brendan Shanahan, Ray Bourque, Bryan Trottier, Brendan Shanahan and NHL Seattle GM Ron Francis-along with NHL players less heralded on the ice but superstars as teammates and citizens.

Some recent example include former Minnesota Wild forward, Jason Zucker, recently traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 2019 King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner and his wife, Carly, launched a fundraising drive in 2017 to establish the Zucker Family Suite and Broadcast Studio at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis.
It started when the Zuckers visited the children's hospital as part of 2016 Wild community outing, meeting a young sports fan, Tucker Helstrom, who was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Hockey fueled an instant friendship, which ended with heartbreaking fashion when Tucker died later in the year.

To honor Tucker, the Zuckers raised $1.2 million to build a theater suite in the hospital that affords a stadium-like environment for patients and their families to watch live televised or streamed sporting events. It dually serves as an audio and video recording space that staff can televise hospital bingo, trivia games, call-in shows and more to entertain patients. One bright spot is if patients are isolated or restricted to their rooms for medical reasons, the in-house broadcasts can include them in craft sessions or celebrity visits. Kids can even make their own videos. The theater opened for full use in early 2019.
The 2018 King Clancy award featured the first-ever pair of winners: Henrik and Daniel Sedin, the storied twin brothers for the Vancouver Canucks, who retired at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. Their off-ice charitable work is just as impressive-maybe more so?-than the stellar 18 seasons each of the Sedins produced for the Canucks and NHL fans. They helped raise $42 million for the Canucks for Kids fund since 2000, including a personal dual donation of $1.5 million to the B.C. Children's Hospital in 2010, establishing the Sedin Family Foundation in 2014 and funding an after-school program for at-risk students in nearby Surrey, B.C.
Fun fact: The Swedish twins' career stats are markedly similar: Daniel, more the goal scorer, including scoring 86 game-winning goals, notched 393 goals and 648 assists for 1041 scoring points in 1306 games. Henrik, more the playmaker, totaled 240 goals and 830 assists for 1070 points in 1330 games that included 28 game-winning goals. Similar numbers that get even closer when you factor points per game because Daniel played 24 fewer games due to injuries: On a points-per-game, Henrik averaged 1.61 points every two games while Daniel averaged 1.59 points.
The trophy, chosen by a designated panel of representatives from the Professional Hockey Writers Association and the NHL Broadcasters Association, is named for Francis M. "King" Clancy, who played 16 seasons in the NHL for the original Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. Clancy was among the league's top players when leading his hometown Ottawa team to win the Stanley Cup in 1923 and 1927.

At the start of the 1930-31 season, legendary Toronto general manager Conn Smythe decided his Maple Leafs squad needed Clancy to win a Cup. The decision worked out when Clancy, an undersized defenseman, nonetheless, rallied his Toronto teammates win a Cup in 1932.
Bonus fun facts: In March of the 1923 title season, Clancy became the first player to play all six positions in an NHL game, in part because goalies had to serve their own penalties back then.
Clancy's father, Thomas, played Canadian football in 1890s for Ottawa pro team. He was a 6-foot, 200-pound lineman who "heeled" the ball instead of snapping it to the quarterback as is modern technique (either close-up or steps back to reach the QB). Apparently not easy (or as hard as it sounds when you think it through), Thomas Clancy was superb at task, inspiring the nickname "King of the Heelers" or King for short. His hockey-playing son Frank's energetic style of play and off-ice exuberance earned him the family nickname and fan-favorite in both Ottawa and Toronto.
King Clancy the NHLer used all of that enthusiasm to raise money and awareness for a number of charities and causes over decades. Clancy finished his career in 1936 as the highest-scoring D-man in NHL history to that point. He transitioned to coaching roles and later worked 11 seasons as a NHL referee-not a career arc mirrored by any player or coach in the current NHL.

Subsequently, Clancy worked for the Toronto franchise as an executive, goodwill ambassador of sorts and noted adviser to two different owners, until his death in 1986. Former Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard presented a trophy (obtained in England) to the NHL to honor Clancy and the first winner in 1988 was another fan favorite and humanitarian in Toronto (and Calgary), Lanny McDonald, who remains a fixture as a NHL celebrity for the nationwide "Hockey Day in Canada" broadcast.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958 and the NHL recognized Clancy as a "Top 100" player as part of the league's centennial celebration in 2017. In all, he logged 65 years associated with the NHL as a player, coach and executive.

King Clancy Memorial Trophy Winners:

2019: Jason Zucker, Minnesota Wild
2018: Daniel Sedin & Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
2017: Nick Foligno, Columbus Blue Jackets
2016: Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
2015: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
2014: Andrew Ference, Edmonton Oilers
2013: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
2012: Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
2011: Doug Weight, New York Islanders
2010: Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes
2009: Ethan Moreau, Edmonton Oilers
2008: Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
2007: Saku Koivu, Montreal Canadiens
2006: Olaf Kolzig, Washington Capitals
2004: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
2003: Brendan Shanahan, Detroit Red Wings
2002: Ron Francis, Carolina Hurricanes
2001: Shjon Podein, Colorado Avalanche
2000: Curtis Joseph, Toronto Maple Leafs
1999: Rob Ray, Buffalo Sabres
1998: Kelly Chase, St. Louis Blues
1997: Trevor Linden, Vancouver Canucks
1996: Kris King, Winnipeg Jets
1995: Joe Nieuwendyk, Calgary Flames
1994: Adam Graves, New York Rangers
1993: Dave Poulin, Boston Bruins
1992: Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
1991: Dave Taylor, Los Angeles Kings
1990: Kevin Lowe, Edmonton Oilers
1989: Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders
1988: Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames